Rick Warren, The Inauguration and the frightening responsibility of being God’s servant IV

Posted by Gary on January 21, 2009

The model for every pastor’s preaching, teaching and praying is the Prophets, Apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are only truthful and faithful to the degree that our preaching, teaching and praying resembles theirs.

Concerning Rick Warren’s prayer today I want us to use imagination rooted in Scripture and ask the following: "Would Moses have prayed a prayer similar to Warren’s?" "What would Jeremiah have prayed if he were offering the invocation?" "Leave the words but remove Rick Warren and insert John the Baptist instead. Would, could, John the Baptist have approached God as Rick Warren did?

When the ecstasy wears off we have some serious thinking to do about the events of this day and what they portend for the future. But for now I would take hold of us and hand us the spectacles of Scripture. I ask you, I gently shake you as I ask you. Stop and think. Would the Prophets, Apostles or the Lord Jesus Christ have prayed in the way that Rick Warren did today?

For weeks I have tempered myself and called myself to be as gracious as possible, fearing what Warren might do today. I must say it was worse than I feared.

Can you imagine the Apostle Paul asking God to help us remember that what unites us is "not religion" but "our commitment to freedom, and justice for all"?

The God who commands all His creatures to love and serve Him only is to overlook our false gods and idolatry and remind us that our greatest commitment is to give freedom and justice to other men? Our greatest duty is not to other men, not even in bringing them freedom and justice. Our first and greatest duty is to worship, revere and serve God and Him alone:

Exodus 20:2-6 "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

How can a servant of the jealous God bring our idolatry right into His presence and far from confessing it ask Him to remind us of some duty that in our idolatrous hearts we think is higher than honoring the one, true, God alone?

I defy you to tell me that any of the Prophets or Apostles would have prayed something like this.

Christians, we must be discerning.

Trusting in princes

Posted by Gary on October 31, 2008

Psalm 146:3  “Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.”

My question is very simple, “How much control did the believers of the New Testament era have over the government that ruled them?” The answer: virtually none. Here is another question, “What accusation did the non-believing world make against the Christians of the first century?”

Acts 17:6  “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”

How could this be? You mean that the Caesars of the first century were not Christians? There was not a Christian/conservative majority in the Roman senate? Believers were not collecting signatures on petitions against ungodly laws? How could they ever have turned the world upside down without any hand on the political steering wheel? Could it be that their faith was in God?

We are well into another election cycle and I grieve. American Christians are blind, blind to the fact that we have reduced the Christian faith down to a political movement. Oh, we are in high places no doubt. We are rubbing shoulders and throwing weight around. Someone please tell me what this has all done to promote and further the gospel.

What does the average unbeliever think of Christianity in our nation today? They believe it is all about political control and power. Who are we winning? I believe with all my heart that what we have done these past few decades is something to be repented of. Our trust is in princes and the power of this world. Who are we kidding? In what way are we turning the world upside down? We are powerless and our political grasping is proof that it is so.

What matters to us is the Supreme Court, control of Congress and the White House. What will we have if we were to have all these? We will still have a nation of people estranged from God but by golly, we’re going to legislate them into the kingdom. We have nearly forfeited our opportunity to share the gospel of Christ, hardly anyone believes that this is what we are after anymore. The unbeliever thinks to himself, “This is about you imposing your way of life on me” and he is right. We are not after heart change and knowledge of Christ, if we were our reliance would be on God not on political power.

I come to my questions again. Someone please tell me how the Christians of the New Testament turned the world upside down without relying on political power? Why are we not seeking the power that they had? How have we come to think that we have found a better way? Thank God that His purposes cannot be thwarted despite how determined His people are to do so.